


She Likes Puzzles

by tlcinbflo



Series: Stories from Andromeda [5]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Drunken Flirting, F/M, Flirting, Kissing, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 13:44:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12037125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tlcinbflo/pseuds/tlcinbflo
Summary: When Sara Ryder shows up, drunk, at Reyes Vidal's home on Kadara, he's not quite sure how she found him, or why, but he's not unhappy with the unexpected visit - though, it leads him to realize he needs to tie up loose ends so he can be the man she needs.





	She Likes Puzzles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vorcha_Girl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vorcha_Girl/gifts).



> The Sara in this fic is the sister of the Scott in my other Andromeda fics. I HC that she woke up sooner than in game, and she's angry with him for lying about their father and about Habitat 7... after Scott cleared the vault on Kadara, Sara opts to stay behind to get the outpost up and running... and yeah... she's pretty intrigued by Reyes from the start. 
> 
> This is a gift for my best friend, Vorcha Girl. I hope you like it; I wouldn't have written it if it weren't for your support. Thanks, Love!

The sun had set on Kadara hours ago. Reyes Vidal stepped out of his shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He ran his hands over his head, pushing the excess water from the longer locks on top. He wiped the steam from the mirror and the light bounced off the dog tags resting against his chest. The day had been long, too long. He found the longer he played two parts – Shena and the Charlatan – the longer the days stretched. The only bright spot in his day was spotting Ryder at Kralla’s Song. Something about the way the light from the setting sun played with her hair and the way her eyes shone as she tossed back her shot. Her laugh rang out through the bar and that caused the hair to stand straight on the back of his neck.

He shook his head and the image of her – her head thrown back and her full lips spread in a grin – disappeared. He scrubbed a hand over his face. Hopefully, he would be able to end this charade when he ended Sloane and then he could be honest with Ryder; well, at the very least, less dishonest. He padded towards his bedroom, draping the towel over a chair and pulling on a pair of sweatpants.

He heard a knock and froze, his eyes darting to the steel reinforced door at the front of his apartment. He reached for the sidearm he kept in his bedside table and moved towards the entry. He could count on one hand the number of people who knew where he lived, and only one person, besides himself, had the code to gain access to the hallway and Keema would never drop by unannounced. He gripped the gun tight in his hand as he crossed the apartment quietly.

“Come on, _Vidal_ , just open the door!” He could just barely make out the voice through the wood and steel. He grinned, and heat bloomed in his chest as he set the gun down next to the door and unlocked it; though, he left the chain in place. He opened it, just enough to verify she was alone. She was, leaning on the door, her cheeks tinted pink and her eyelids heavy.

“Ryder, what a pleasant surprise,” he closed the door to remove the chain. When he opened it again, he left one hand on the doorway, and stretched out, leaning on the open door. He watched her gaze move lazily up his body, her lip pinched between her teeth. “Well, it took you long enough.” She muttered as she placed a hand on his chest and moved beneath his outstretched arm to enter his space. She tucked her hands into her coat pocket as she took in the room. He dropped his head, grinning, and secured the door before he turned to follow her. “You have a weird door.”

“Pathfinder, are you drunk?” Reyes asked, crossing his arms over his chest and chuckling as she placed a finger over her grin.

“I don’t know, Vidal, you’d have to call the Tempest and ask Scott!” she giggled softly and Reyes grinned as she spun back around and walked further into the room. “But, me? Yeah … I’m pretty drunk.” She continued to survey his living space and Reyes just watched, his hands folded behind his back. He looked around as she did, wondering what she thought of his sparsely furnished apartment with its warm tones and soft furniture. “So, this is where Shena rests his head after a long day of secret trading and smuggling.” She continued into another room, finding the cart with his collection of liquor. A sculpted brow was cocked, and her lips quirked.

“No, Shena never rests,” he stepped closer to her as she turned and leaned against the wall near the cart. “Shena never takes off his armor.” He smiled when her eyes darted to his bare chest before returning to his eyes.

“You’re not wearing any armor,” she whispered the words as he reached out and prepared two drinks.

“Correct, Lady Obvious, because here I am not Shena or – here, I am simply Reyes Vidal, smuggler extraordinaire,” he held a glass out for her, and as she took it she let her fingers linger on his. She’d removed the gloves she usually wore, and he was surprised by how soft her skin was as she brushed his skin. His gut twisted low and hot and it was not at all uncomfortable. She kept her eyes locked on his as she brought her glass to her lips and sipped her drink. “Am I correct in assuming Keema told you how to find me?” Ryder nodded as she pushed herself off the wall. Her leather jacket creaked as she moved past him.

She tapped his nose, smirking. “Yep.”

“Apparently, I’ll have to speak with Keema about keeping information secure,” he spoke the words under his breath so he wasn’t expecting the twisted, offended look to be on Ryder’s face when he turned to her.

“What’s the matter, Vidal?” she asked as she jumped up onto the counter in his kitchenette. “You’re not happy to see me?”

He traced her steps, ending just in front of her. Her knees brushed his hips as he stopped. “I just can’t imagine what a beautiful, influential woman like yourself would want with a liar and a thief. Surely, this is a visit for business and not pleasure.” The fingers on his free hand danced over her knee and onto her thigh. She smirked and shifted, her legs opening enough to allow him to step closer. His hand flattened on her thigh, appreciating the muscle he felt beneath her jeans, as his hand moved over her hip. She set her glass down next to her and shifted, moving her hips closer to the edge of the counter – closer to him.

“I like puzzles,” she answered him, grinning as she hooked a leg over his hip. He set his glass down next to hers, his lips quirked as he leaned forward, supporting himself with a hand on the counter, allowing his other hand to roam over her hip and lower back. He wondered, not for the first time, just how soft her skin was.

“Puzzles?” he asked as she slid her hands up his arms and around his neck. He loved the heat of her bare hands on his back. Her back arched gently, pushing her body into his. He dropped his head and pressed a kiss to her neck.

“Yeah, not word puzzles or number puzzles,” she sighed as his lips left a trail over her neck, teeth grazing her pulse point. “Jigsaw puzzles.” Her nails scratched at his back, and he whimpered into her skin. “I like finding two pieces that fit together.” She gasped lightly as he moved both his hands to her legs, gripping her knees and pulling her legs up and bringing her closer. He would swear he could feel the heat of her through their clothes. “I can’t help but wonder … if we’d _fit together_ ….”

He pulled back just enough for their gazes to meet. He brought one hand up, and pushed her cropped, brown locks back behind her ear before letting his knuckles graze her cheek. “We’d fit,” he whispered before covering her mouth with his. Her gasp died on a moan and he wrapped his arms around her as his tongue swept through her mouth.

She groaned into the kiss, and it sent delicious vibrations to his core. The velvet feel of her tongue as it danced with his had his mind reeling and his heart racing. She nipped playfully at his lower lip before stealing his breath with another mind-numbing kiss. He could feel her, everywhere, like she was invading his very being with every stroke, and every breath. She moved her lips from his, kissing his jaw, then his neck. She left a trail of hot, wet kisses along his neck and to his shoulder as she pressed herself closer to his bare chest. She bit him hard enough to bring a hiss from him, before she lavished the mark with her tongue.

“Ryder,” the name slipped from him as she traced his pulse point with her teeth. Her sigh cooled the place her lips had been as she pulled back, placing her hands flat on his chest and pushing gently. Her legs dropped from around him, banging into the cupboard beneath. He bit back a sigh and searched her eyes, not sure why she’d stopped, and afraid to ask.

“You’re an … _interesting_ puzzle,” she sighed, disappointment lingering in her tone. She chewed her lip. As he stood up straight, his dog tags clinked against her hand. His brow creased as he took slow deep breaths trying to calm his racing heart. She wrapped the chain around her hand and tugged. “Anubis, huh?” She dropped the tags and he scrubbed his hands over his face. “Like … the Jackal God … patron of …,” her face scrunched as she thought and picked up her glass again. “Mummification and the afterlife?”

“Also, lost souls and the helpless,” he added, his eyes staying on her as he lifted and finished his drink in one quick swallow. “And, my callsign back in the Milky Way. And I’m not a puzzle.” He pushed away from her.

“You know, we’ve known each other for three months now. We’ve spent nights talking until the sun came up and we’ve sent each other very, _very_ intense messages,” she was sounding more sober than drunk now and he wondered just how inebriated she was still. “I’ve told you things no one knows, and yet, you have never, _once_ , called me by my first name. You call me Ryder.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and considered her. He knew she was right. He wasn’t sure why, but there was something _intimate_ about her first name. He wanted to save it for when she knew the truth.

“Well, you’ve never called me Reyes,” he deflected, anxiety gripping his chest until it hurt.

“I don’t think I know Reyes, yet,” she admitted as she hopped off the counter. She wobbled on shaky, drunken legs before stopping and smiling up at him. “I know Shena. I know Shena… very, _very_ well, but Reyes…,” she was slowly making her way towards him, smiling _that_ smile. “That’s… that’s a puzzle piece I just don’t have, yet.” He had the urge to tell her, everything, right there, but something stopped him. “But don’t worry, Vidal, I’m really good at puzzles.” He smiled, though, her words only fanning the flames of his unease. She pressed a quick, sound kiss to his lips and turned towards the door. “Really good at puzzles Vidal! The Puzzle Queen they called me back in the Milky Way!” She tripped over something and laughed. He grinned as he followed her. He leaned against his doorway with his arms crossed over his chest as she reached his door. She turned to him. “I’m going to figure you out, you know; you _and_ this door.”

Then she was gone, and Reyes ran a hand through his hair as he moved into his living room and fell onto his couch. He needed to end this; he needed to be able to tell her the truth.

For that … Sloane Kelly had to die.


End file.
